unity The Unity movement began with two people, Charles & Myrtle Fillmore, who believe they had uncovered a deeper meaning, a metaphysical understanding, in world scriptures & Christian scriptures. This understanding lead to a work of prayer, publication, retreats and education.

Unity history • Prayer work: in person, by letter • (telephone, & email) • Taught classes in the metaphysical Bible Sunday afternoons. • Church established at 9th & Tracy St., moved to Country Club Plaza, KC. • Unity Farm, now Unity Village in the 1930’s (early communal idea, vegetarian Inn)

Five Basic Teaching of Unity • 1. There is only one Presence and on Power in the universe, identified most often as God or Spirit – good, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. • 2. Our essence is of God; therefore, we are inherently good. This God essence was expressed in the man, Jesus, who demonstrated it. We have historically called it the Christ or anointed.

3. We are co-creators with God, calling conditions and things into our life by the thoughts & feelings we hold in mind. • 4. Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with God. Denials & affirmations, and meditation are tools we use. • 5. Through thoughts, words & actions, we must live the Truth we know.

unity - bible • Charles & Myrtle Fillmore studied the bible as history and allegory – and interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of humankind’s journey toward spiritual awakening. • We recognize the Christian bible as a complex collection of writings & it is a valuable spiritual resource for us.

Unity – prayer • We teach prayer as… • Denying power to the condition we are calling negative. • With forgiveness • With release • Affirm the highest Truth*. • With receptivity • With gratitude

Examples of *Truth principles. • Thoughts held in mind-produce after their kind. • As we give, we receive. Giving is first. • I am a child of God- made in the image of God, therefore I do not inherit sickness. I am whole and well. • There is that which is in me that is greater than anything in the world – I am always safe. • No one and nothing is against me. • Un-forgiveness hurts the holder. Let go & let God. • I am one with God and will all human kind. • As anyone hurts; I hurt. As anyone grows; I grow. • What I do to others, I do to myself. • Love my neighbor as myself.

-JOINT STATEMENT FOR PEACE- The Association of Unity Churches International and Unity® • Unity stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of injury. • Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one power and presence of God and that God loves each one of us equally. • It is therefore the position of the Association of Unity Churches International and Unity to urge all nations, their leaders and their people to turn to God by whatever the name for guidance during these challenging times and pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors the God of all our faith traditions. Unity stands for peace in our lifetime.

Unity & Interfaith • We have for “forty years been studying some of the attributes of Spirit. Unity as a religion does not claim to have discovered anything new. We have simply gathered together and unified all that is good in many religions. We do not claim that we have discovered any new truths, nor that we have had any special revelation of Truth. There is Truth in every religion. It is my privilege to take Truth from any source, put it into my religion, and make it fundamental as a rule of action in my life. This is what Unity students do.” (Charles Fillmore at the 1st Unity conference, 1923)

Unity - Interfaith • “There are so many religions. Let us go ahead for ourselves: let us do what we think is best and ask God to be with us and to lead us and guide us….we have borrowed the best from all religions: that is the reason why we are called Unity.” (Charles Fillmore 1923)

Unity - Interfaith • “We have been challenged that we have drawn our beliefs from Theosophy, Christianity, Hinduism, Rosicrucian, Buddhism and other religious systems and so we have. We have reached for the golden thread, the Truth in all religions and we have found it, for we have found Spirit….we are moving across the threshold of the new age. We are here to rededicate ourselves to pure, unchangeable, unadulterated Truth God in man (& woman) and man (woman) in God.” (1967 Fillmore Festival)